'Supernatural' among TV releases on DVD

Fans of "Supernatural" might want to invest in the Blu-ray edition of the spooky show's first season, which leads off these new-to-DVD television programs.

"Supernatural: The Complete First Season" (Warner/Blu-ray, 2005-2006, four discs, $49.99). In its first few years, this scary/funny series about two bickering brothers carrying on their father's work of dispatching demons and monsters each week was witty and frightful, a worthy 21st century successor to "The Night Stalker" and the subsequent "Kolchak" series of the 1970s.

These early episodes have Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) as estranged brothers who come together when Dad disappears, then find themselves traveling the country to destroy evil phenomena, including a number of urban legends come to life.

Extras: widescreen, 22 episodes, deleted/extended scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, bloopers

"Sanctuary: The Complete Second Season" (E1, 2009, four discs, $49.98). This enjoyable Canadian show is kind of the flip side of "Supernatural," with "monsters" that are often simply misunderstood creatures in need of rescuing from humans, and sometimes evil beasts that need caging.

The quirky scientists who work as a team to research, capture and sometimes save these entities are a quirky and amusing bunch, led by Amanda Tapping. The second-season episodes are alternately darker and funnier than Season 1.

Extras: widescreen, 13 episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers, photo gallery

"Raffles: The Complete Collection" (Acorn, 1977, four discs, $59.99). The title character, a gentleman thief, was played in early movie versions by Roland Colman, and David Niven. Here the setting is Victorian England, and Anthony Valentine seems to be having fun adopting accents and disguises while being pursued by a Scotland Yard detective.

Extras: full frame, 14 episodes, text biography/production notes, trailers

"Hawthorne: The Complete first Season" (Sony, 2009, three discs, $34.95). Jada Pinkett Smith is a bit over the top as chief nurse at a major hospital, and the show leaves no cliché unturned. But fans of medical melodramas should be pleased with this glossy TNT cable series.

Extras: widescreen, 10 episodes, featurettes